Every Life
by abbzeh
Summary: or 'Five Lives That Kurt and Blaine Probably Lived, and the One Life They Definitely Lived'. Various AUs: badboy!blaine, editor!kurt, teacher!blaine, kid!klaine


_A/N: This is an idea that I've had on my mind for a while, so when I finally got the inspiration to do it, I wrote it. Hopefully, it turned out okay, because I put a ridiculous amount of effort into writing this one._

* * *

(1)

Kurt was walking down the school hallway, eyes flitting left and right and body poised to jump out of the way of any potential attackers. Around him, the students pushed their way to lessons, trudging along with the amount of enthusiasm that could only come on a Monday morning. Sighs and murmured voices, with occasional shouts of frustration, echoed around him, and he moved out of the way of an oncoming jock holding a slushie.

Before he had any chance to steel himself for any potential slushie attacks, Kurt found himself being pushed sideways into the row of lockers, shoulder bashing on the cold metal.

'Watch where you're going, Lady!' a voice sneered over his shoulder, and Kurt turned his head just in time to see two bulking jocks shove their way past him, high fiving each other with enough force to cause a small earthquake. Sighing, he continued on down the hallway, clutching the strap of his bag tightly in his hand. People roughly shoved past him, far too preoccupied with their own problems to pay him any mind.

Slipping off to the side and through the door to his next class, he quickly made his way to his desk at the back of the room, setting his bag down and carefully sitting. He didn't really want to jostle the bruises he already had from this morning's meeting with the lockers. Rachel wandered in sometime afterwards, shooting him a concerned look and a hissed, 'Are you okay?' out of the corner of her mouth.

Kurt nodded and shot her a smile of what he hoped was reassurance. Judging from her expression, he hadn't entirely succeeded in that regard.

'I'm fine,' he said to her, leaning out of his seat slightly and looking towards the front, keeping an eye on the door for the teacher to appear.

Rachel gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him, but she appeared to let it go. Instead, she gave a smile and said, 'So, do you know what song you're doing in Glee practice?'

Kurt opened his mouth to answer her, but before he could actually get the words out, the sound of a bag dropping heavily onto a desk in front of them diverted their attention. Heads snapping forward at the same time, they turned in time to see none other than Blaine Anderson noisily pulling out his chair and dropping down into it.

Everyone knew who Blaine was. Kurt doubted that there wasn't a single person in the school who didn't know who Blaine was. He'd transferred to McKinley in the middle of the year, just before that academic year ended, and within a week of being there, he'd beaten up Karofsky for saying the wrong thing around him and had been sent to Principle Figgins so many times it was in double figures. There were rumours going around within the first month that he'd been expelled from his old school for setting the place on fire. Others said he'd been to juvie.

Kurt chose not to listen to the rumours, mostly because he was fairly certain that none those those things had actually happened, and also because he didn't know what to believe about Blaine Anderson. Blaine was an enigma – a trouble causing, back talking, extremely handsome enigma, but an enigma nonetheless. Kurt looked down as the teacher stormed into the room, slamming the door shut behind her, to distract himself from that line of thinking. He would not be caught blushing over thoughts of Blaine's gorgeous eyes, or face, or hair, or just how he looked in general because _damn_ those were some good arms.

Kurt mentally shook his head. _No_.

About half way through the lesson, the teacher started to hand out textbooks, passing a pile to each first person in a row and instructing them to take one, then hand the rest back. Kurt leaned his chin on his hand and stared at the desk, imagining patterns in the heavily scribbled on and dinted surface. A heavy thud suddenly startled him, and he looked up with lightning speed, only to find Blaine's face only inches from his own. A textbook was in his hand, and Kurt quickly took it with a hurried, 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome, babe,' Blaine replied softly in a low voice, shooting him a wink. So startled by the fact that one – Blaine had actually willingly said something to someone that wasn't to do with fighting them and two – Blaine had just winked at him, Kurt found himself speechless. He gaped at Blaine's back at the latter settled back into a comfortable position, and he could feel Rachel's stare on his arm.

'Don't even say anything,' he hissed to her as he leaned back in his seat and flipping open the book to the correct page.

* * *

Rooting through his locker after Glee practice that afternoon, he felt more than heard the presence next to his locker. Kurt looked down, and could see a pair of legs clad in black jeans – very tight black jeans – and heavy boots. Kurt barely suppressed his sigh and rolled his eyes instead, closing the locker door and turning to look at Blaine.

'Can I help you?' he asked, raising an eyebrow in the most judgemental way he could manage. He shifted slightly so he was leaning away from Blaine. If Blaine tried to do something, he could get away this way.

Blaine was leaning on the lockers, arms folded across his chest and watching Kurt intently. 'Relax, Hummel,' he said with a roll of his eyes, gesturing at Kurt's vaguely defence stance. 'I'm not going to beat you up.'

'I heard you gave Johnson a black eye earlier,' Kurt said, looking down to close his bag. He looked back up in time to see Blaine shrug.

'He was a douche,' Blaine said by way of explanation, as though being a douche warranted being punched in the face. 'He touched one of my things.'

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to walk down the hallway towards the doors. Behind him, Blaine's heavy footsteps followed with the lingering weight of his eyes on Kurt's back. Kurt quickened his pace. As he neared the doors, though, he slowed down as he heard the loud and boisterous shouts of the Neanderthals, clearly having just gotten out of detention. He didn't realise that he had stopped in front of the doors until he heard Blaine start to talk beside him.

'You okay, babe?' The term of what Kurt supposed was endearment caught him off guard – maybe that was how Blaine spoke to people. It wasn't as though he really spoke to people in school anyway. The fact that he was talking to Kurt in a fairly civil manner was something of a near-miracle. He mentally shook himself and forced a smile as he looked at Blaine briefly.

'Yeah,' he said, and god that came out slightly shakier than he had wanted.

Blaine smirked a bit as he looked between the door and Kurt. There was a mischievous glint in his eye that immediately made Kurt suspicious.

'Come on,' Blaine said, still smirking so attractively, 'I know a shortcut.'

And he took Kurt's hand, opened the doors and stepped out into the open, in plain sight of the Neanderthals. The lot of them stopped at the sight of them, mouths curling in disgust at the sight of their intertwined hands. Kurt could feel his face beginning to heat up under the scrutiny.

'Evening, boys!' Blaine called out cheerfully in an over-the-top voice, swinging their hands back and forth as he walked them through the crowd of gorillas.

'Anderson,' one of them growled, stepping forward menacingly. Upon further inspection, Kurt saw that it was Johnson. 'You fuck buddies with Hummel, now? You little -'

'You know, Johnson,' Blaine said loudly, talking over whatever Johnson had been about to say, 'that one black eye is looking pretty lonely.' He shrugged, feigning innocence. 'Maybe I should give it a friend. I'd be more than happy to.'

Johnson said nothing, glaring instead with a venomous look, and Blaine continued on his way, still swinging Kurt's hand in his own.

'Why did you do that?' Kurt asked when they were out of earshot, ignoring the way his heart did strange things when he felt his hand be jostled by Blaine's, still gripping tightly.

'Because,' Blaine said, letting go as they reached Kurt's car – something tightened in Kurt's chest at the feel of the cold air brushing against warm skin – and turning to face him, 'I felt like it. And I like you, babe.' He paused, giving an innocent shrug and an attractive grin. 'Quite a lot, actually. Have done for a while. I thought you were hot when I got here.' Kurt felt his cheeks heating up again and he looked down at the ground to try and hide it.

'Was it an attempt to _woo me_?' Kurt asked, looking back up with a small grin and ignoring the way his heart was somersaulting in his chest.

Blaine smirked slyly, dark eyes glinting. 'I don't know. Do you feel _wooed_?'

Kurt bit his lip as he stared at Blaine, trying not to get lost in those eyes. 'I don't know,' he said, parroting Blaine with another small grin.

Blaine stepped towards Kurt, eyes locked on his and never leaving them, and another, and another, until he had Kurt pushed against the door to his car. Every time Kurt breathed in, he could smell the hints of spice and smoke on Blaine's leather jacket, and it made his head spin. Blaine was smiling at him, his eyes still glinting, and two seconds later, Kurt felt Blaine's lips touch his, and it's like a spark had been lit.

The kiss wasn't delicate and barely there, like in the romantic movies and plays – it was hard, with Blaine's hand caressing the back of Kurt's head and fingers on his neck, dipping just beneath the shirt to strike at the skin of his shoulder. At the same time, though, there was an underlying softness to it, and it definitely felt good. Amazing, really, Kurt managed to think through the haze of spice and smoke and the taste of coffee in his brain. His hand lifted up and cupped Blaine's cheek, stubble pricking beneath his fingertips.

Blaine broke the kiss first, moving his head so his lips were touching Kurt's neck, teeth barely grazing it. 'What about now?' he asked in a low voice, hot breath sweeping across Kurt's ear like fire.

Kurt let out a breathy sigh as the fire got into his veins and travelled to his heart, beating wildly. 'Yeah,' he admitted, and he felt Blaine grin into his neck, pressing an echo of a kiss into the skin before stepping back.

'Good,' Blaine said in a near-whisper, leaning back in so his face was an inch from Kurt's, 'because that's totally what I was going for.'

He pressed another kiss, quicker this time, to Kurt's lips and flashed a smile before turning to walk away, heavy boots echoing with each footstep. Kurt watched him go, still smiling, and pressed his fingers to his lips, feeling them tingle with residual electricity.

* * *

(2)

'Mr Anderson?' came a small voice, and Blaine looked up from the work he was marking in concern.

'Lily?' he asked, getting up from his desk and walking over to where the girl was sat, looking unhappy. 'What's wrong?' he asked, crouching down beside her.

She bit her lip for a second before answering, 'I feel sick,' in a slightly shaky voice.

'Okay, don't panic,' Blaine said as soothingly as he could. He glanced around briefly and saw that there were a few of the kids looking at them curiously. 'Do you feel like you're going to be sick, Lily?'

Lily appeared to think about it for a second before nodding quickly, lips pressed together. Blaine nodded and glanced at the time – there were only about fifteen minutes of the lesson left, so maybe he could get someone to cover for him for those last few minutes.

'Come on,' he said to her softly, 'let's get you to the nurse.'

Lily nodded and quickly gathered up her things, placing them carefully in her bag and walked towards the door. Blaine followed her, turning to say to the class, 'I won't be long. Please continue working on your sheets, okay?' before walking out of the door.

As they walked quietly down the hallway, Blaine stopped one of the substitute teachers on her way from the teacher's lounge and quietly asked her, 'Karen, do you mind watching my class? I need to take Lily to the nurse.' He gestured with his head towards the girl in question, and Karen made a sympathetic noise.

'Of course, Blaine,' she smiled, patting his arm and smiling down at Lily. 'You get better soon, okay?'

Lily nodded shyly, cheeks going pink as Karen smiled once more before she left, going the way Blaine and Lily had come from. Blaine gently navigated Lily so she was walking towards the nurse's office again, ushering her inside and telling her to sit down and relax. He then went to find Amy, who was sitting at her desk, and quickly told her what was wrong.

'Mr Anderson,' Lily called out, and Blaine and Amy quickly went back in to where she was sitting. She'd gone paler than she had been before, and Blaine had a feeling he knew what was coming. 'I think I'm going to be sick.'

With well practised precision, Amy had quickly retrieved a bucket from somewhere hidden in the room and placed it on Lily's knees. Two seconds later, Lily was being sick into it, retching heavily. Amy rubbed her back soothingly, murmuring nonsensical words of comfort into her ear and holding back her long brown hair.

'I'll call her father,' Amy said over Lily's head to Blaine, clucking sympathetically when Lily retched again. 'Can you stay here with her?'

Blaine nodded instantly, watching Amy slowly get up and walk into her office, and sat down beside Lily. 'Hey,' he said softly, rubbing slow circles on her back when she was sick again and wincing in sympathy. 'How are we feeling?'

Lily breathed heavily and shakily, her body racked with tremors. 'Bad,' she managed to whisper before retching again.

From within Amy's office, Blaine could hear her talking on the phone in a quiet voice, and he tried to listen. ' - you'll be how long? Okay, that's fine, Mr Hummel. See you soon.' A moment or so later, Amy emerged from her office, and Blaine immediately stood up so she could retake her place again.

'Lily,' Amy said gently as she pressed the back of her hand to Lily's forehead, 'your father is coming to get you. He said he'll be about fifteen minutes, okay?'

Lily nodded, chin pressed against the edge of the bucket, and Amy gently eased it out of her admittedly tight grip. 'Are you finished with this, honey?' At Lily's nod, she eased it away completely and put it on the floor and gently urged Lily up. 'Come on, you can lie down on the bed. It's just through here.' Placing a hand on the girl's back, Amy led her through the room into a darkened room at the back.

Lily, with Amy's urging, hopped up onto the bed and lay on her side, trembling like a leaf. Amy sat on the chair beside her. Blaine hovered in the door, one eye on the door that led to the hallway and one eye on Lily. Within a matter of minutes, Lily had fallen asleep, and Amy got up, walking to stand next to Blaine.

'How long did her father say he would be again?' Blaine asked quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping child.

'About fifteen minutes,' Amy replied, smoothing down the front of her blouse.

* * *

True to his word, the door to Amy's office opened, revealing Donna, the secretary, and a man who Blaine presumed to be Lily's father.

A man who was, Blaine happened to notice, extremely gorgeous. His hair was coiffed and somehow defying gravity, his long body clothed in a tight shirt and equally tight jeans and his gorgeous face was a perfect mask of worry. Blaine stepped out of the smaller room and went to greet him.

'Mr Hummel, I assume?' Blaine asked politely, standing in front of him and smiling. He held out a hand. 'Blaine Anderson. I teach your daughter.'

The man gave a small smile as he shook Blaine's hand. Blaine tried not to think about how good it felt. 'Kurt Hummel,' he replied, looking around with the sort of anxiety that only a worried father could have. 'I'm sorry I took so long to get here. I work in the city centre and the traffic is hell to get through. I got here as soon as I could.' Kurt cut himself off, apparently realising that he was rambling, took a deep breath and asked, 'Is Lily okay?'

'She was sick earlier,' Blaine replied, wincing at the memory again, 'but she's sleeping now.'

Kurt nodded, some of the tension leaking out of his features. 'Right,' he breathed out, running a hand through his hair in what seemed like an unconscious manner. 'Right,' he repeated, letting out a heavy breath. He looked at Blaine and gave a small smile. 'I'll take her home,' he said, and Blaine nodded with a smile, leading him to the room at the back.

It was odd, watching Kurt fuss over his sleeping daughter, but it filled Blaine's heart with a warmth that hadn't been there before. Kurt talked with Amy quickly, nodding at something, and then gently picked Lily up, somehow managing it without waking her up. Angling her so that her head was resting against his shoulder, he turned and started to walk towards the door, arms tight around her. Just before he reached the door, he turned and looked at Blaine. 'Thank you for making sure she was okay, Mr Anderson,' he said with a soft, grateful smile.

'Blaine,' Blaine said quickly, adding when Kurt smiled with some confusion, tipping his head to the side, 'just call me Blaine.'

Kurt nodded with a smile. 'Blaine,' he agreed, giving him one last parting smile before walking out of the door. His footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Blaine listened until he could no longer hear them, and ignored Amy's knowing looks.

* * *

The next time that Blaine saw Kurt was on one of the parents' evenings about two weeks later. He was in his classroom, wandering from parent to parent and talking with them about their child and how their child was finding school when he saw Lily run in, hair flying behind her. She grinned when she spotted him.

'Hi, Mr Anderson!' she said cheerfully and loudly, waving at him. She went outside for a second and ran back in, this time tugging her father along by the hand. 'Look, Daddy! It's Mr Anderson!'

'Well, so it is,' Kurt said with a smile, gently releasing his hand from his daughter's grip and straightening up with a smile in Blaine's direction. Blaine smiled back and wandered over to them, hands in his pockets, ready to greet them.

'Daddy thinks you're pretty,' Lily said matter-of-factly when Blaine approached, grinning like she'd personally just switched on the sun. Kurt looked between her and Blaine for a second.

'Honey, why don't you go and play over there?' Kurt said gently, gesturing over to the corner where Blaine had set up a few things for the children to do whilst the adults spoke amongst themselves. Lily nodded quickly, reminding Blaine of an overexcited puppy, and bounded over to the corner. Kurt watched her for a moment before sighing. 'Sorry about her,' he said with a sheepish grin, giving a half shrug. 'She's been a bit, shall we say, eager for me to be happy with someone.'

'No, no!' Blaine said quickly, gesticulating wildly for emphasis, 'It's fine!' More than fine. 'Really,' he added with a smile, mentally sighing in relief when Kurt gave a small smile. 'Anyway, how has Lily been doing? She was ill for a week, after all.'

Kurt ran a hand through his hair, something Blaine supposed he did when he was nervous, and smiled slightly. 'She's fine,' he said, sounding grateful for that fact. 'I mean, I was panicking at first and I had to my friend – Lily's mother, it's a long story – involved because Lily kept throwing up and I was scared and – ' Kurt cut himself off and took a deep breath, cheeks going pink as he realised that he'd been rambling again. 'Anyway, it was just a nasty virus she had. A few days rest and she was back to being her old hyperactive self.'

Blaine nodded, grinning. 'That's good. I'm glad.' A beat later, he added, 'Not the panicking part, obviously. But I'm glad she's alright.'

The talk moved from that to how Lily was doing in school, how happy she was and whether there were any issues that needed to be dealt with. Every so often, one of them would turn and glance at Lily, only to find her staring at them with large eyes and smile. She'd always quickly look away and act as though she hadn't been caught blatantly eyeing her father and teacher. When it came to leave, Lily hurried out of the door, practically running, and Kurt sighed, turning to leave as well.

'Wait!' Blaine said, before his nerves stopped him, and Kurt turned around, eyebrow raised. 'I was wondering if I – erm – if I could - '

Kurt seemed to guess what he was asking, because his smile because softer and he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He took out a small, blank card and a pen, and quickly scribbled something down on it. Smiling and putting the pen away, he handed over the card to Blaine. Blaine looked at it and felt his heart stutter in happy surprise.

'Call me whenever,' Kurt said with a small shrug, giving a soft smile. 'Maybe we could go out to dinner this weekend?'

'Yeah,' Blaine breathes out, letting out a breath that he hadn't even realised that he'd been holding, smiling and feeling the happiness warm his chest like hot coffee. 'that sounds great.'

Kurt nodded, smile soft and oddly shy now. Blaine thought it was the most gorgeous thing in the world. 'I'll see you round,' he said softly, before walking out of the door to find his daughter.

Blaine resisted jumping up into the air in joy.

* * *

(3)

'Anderson?'

Blaine looked up from the magazine he'd been reading, one foot resting on the opposite knee, and looked towards the source of the voice. A tall woman was standing at the door, dressed impeccably in a sharp black dress and heels long and thin enough to commit manslaughter. Blaine didn't doubt that her red nails could easily do the same thing. He quickly stood up, smoothing out his dress shirt, and made his way over to her. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked, scrutinising his every move.

'Santana Lopez,' she said, holding out a hand. Blaine shook it warily before letting his hand drop back to his side. 'I'm Kurt's personal assistant and I'm basically here to make sure you don't screw anything up.'

She turned on her heel and began to walk across the large lobby, and Blaine quickly started to follow her, mentally taking notes as he walked. Around them, people were dressed to the nines, hurrying in different directions, and Blaine struggled to walk through them at times. Santana led them over to a large shining elevator, and herded Blaine inside before pressing a button.

Blaine really hoped that the ride wouldn't take too long. He hated elevator rides. The silences were always so awkward.

Thankfully, it didn't last that long, and Santana walked out again, strutting down the hallway like a woman on a mission. Blaine followed, eyes going to the lethal looking heels again. She led them towards a door, which opened to an office looking area filled with various desks, each with a computer on the surface tops.

'This is where you will be stationed,' Santana said sharply, pointing at one of the desks near a large closed door. Blaine quickly took off his coat and placed it on the back of his chair. 'During your time with Vogue, your duties will include, but will not be limited to, bringing Kurt his morning coffee, getting his very specific lunch, delivering messages between the departments, answering calls and taking messages and just generally doing anything I don't want to do.'

She fixed him with a stone cold glare. 'Don't you dare mess this up, Hairgel. One wrong move and Kurt will fire your ass quicker than you can say bowtie. The last guy we had for the position was such a kiss ass that Kurt had him gone within a week.'

Blaine gulped, and Santana smirked at him.

'Let's see how long you'll last.'

At that moment, the door swung open, and none other than Kurt Hummel himself strolled in, dressed impeccably in his black suit with skinny tie and Dior sunglasses. A coat was draped over his arm, and when he walked past Blaine's desk, he paused, turning around to look at Santana, then at Blaine.

'Is he new?' Kurt asked, cocking his head in Blaine's general direction as he reached up to take the sunglasses off.

'Started this morning,' Santana replied instantly, smiling. 'I ran him through the basics so he should be good to go.'

Kurt smiled at her, and said, 'Thanks, Santana,' and then turned and opened the large wooden door near Blaine's desk. It closed with a snap, and Blaine only realised then that the sign on the door said: KURT HUMMEL, SENIOR EDITOR.

He walked around the desk to his chair and sat down heavily, turning to the computer and starting it up, getting lost in his own thoughts.

'Santana?' he asked after a few moments of thinking. She made a noise of affirmation to show that she was listening, so he continued talking. 'How come the last guy was fired?'

'Like I said,' Santana said without looking up once. The sound of her nails on the keyboard sounded loud in the quiet room. 'The guy was an ass kisser. He tried to get in Kurt's good books by arriving several hours early and always complimenting him on his appearance, which is creepy anyway but y'know. And it didn't help that he really couldn't do anything.' After a pause, Santana added, 'I think his name was Chandler or something.' Her eyes met his over the computer screen. 'You seem to have at least half a brain, so I have hopes for you, Hairgel.'

* * *

Over the course of that one day, Blaine found himself being sent from place to place – one minute he would be in Wardrobe, then he'd be sent to Mercedes, one of the junior editors with a message, only to be sent back to Santana. Santana had then come and found him just before lunch with very explicit instructions: go and get Kurt's lunch and have it back in thirty minutes. This wouldn't have been a problem, if not for the fact that Kurt ate a very specific lunch that included going halfway across the city to get it. He'd only just made it back in time, and Santana had looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

He'd never been so relieved to see his box apartment and to hear the whining sounds of Wes and the Xbox.

'So?' Wes asked around a mouthful of doritos, cursing around them when someone tried to shoot him on whichever game he was playing. 'How did it go?'

'Urgh,' was all Blaine could manage, letting go of his bag and falling heavily onto the sofa. His head leaned against the armrest and he watched the people onscreen shoot each other. With a great effort, he forced himself to get up five minutes later, muttering a hurried, 'Shower,' to Wes before stumbling to the tiny bathroom.

He never thought that he'd be so glad to feel hot water pounding against his skin, but after a day of stress and working to exact times for people who were professionals of the highest level, Blaine had never felt anything so close to heaven. He closed his eyes, letting the water wash over him, and by the time he finally left it, a good twenty minutes had passed. Pausing in the mirror to brush his hair, he quickly pulled an old shirt on and an old pair of sweatpants and joined Wes on the sofa, pulling his legs up.

'His assistant is a demon,' he said by way of greeting, letting his head tip back against the back of the sofa and closing his eyes. 'I'm pretty sure she could easily kill a man.'

'Sounds fun,' Wes commented as he leaned to the side in time with the game, muttering under his breath when someone shot at him, 'What's Hummel like?'

'Difficult,' Blaine said after a moment to think about it. 'I haven't spoken to him yet, but he wants his fucking lunch from somewhere in the most obscure location in this entire city.'

Wes let out a loud shriek when someone assassinated him, and he looked like he was about to throw the controller at the TV. Taking a deep breath, he put the controller down and turned to look at Blaine, expression understanding. 'I feel you,' he nodded, grimacing at the memory of one of his older jobs.

'His satan assistant also said that the last guy had been fired for ass kissing.' Blaine mentioned, rolling his neck and feeling some satisfaction from hearing the resulting cracks.

'To be fair,' Wes said thoughtfully, shrugging when Blaine looked over, 'I'd do that as well. Nobody likes a suck up.'

'I have to get his coffee tomorrow, as well,' Blaine said thoughtfully. A second later, he realised what he'd just said, and he sat bolt upright. 'I don't even know which coffee he likes. And I can't ask Santana because I don't have her number.' He clasped his hands together on his lap and he gritted his teeth, thinking. 'I'm so screwed.'

* * *

The next morning, after spending some time agonising over what to do, Blaine ended up going to the coffee shop that Santana had off-handedly mentioned that Kurt was fond of. Whilst waiting in the queue, he stared at the extensive list of coffees they had displayed on the board behind the counter, and he desperately tried to decide on one.

'Hello, sir. How can I help you?' the plucky young barista asked, smiling at him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

'Hi. I'll take the grande non-fat mocha to go, please,' he said, smiling at her as she went to complete his order. He impatiently tapped his fingers against the wooden surface, feeling it scrape against his nails with each drag. Paying her and leaving a tip, Blaine quickly walked down the street, coffee in hand, and tried to dodge the hundreds of people walking in the opposite direction, whilst holding scalding coffee.

Inside the building, it got a bit easier, since everyone seemed to avoid spilling the coffee in there. During the elevator ride, he'd left it smelling of coffee, and he got there in time to leave the coffee on Kurt's desk. Kurt arrived ten minutes later, slipping his jacket off and throwing it in the general direction of Blaine's desk before disappearing into his office.

'Shit!' Blaine heard Santana swear, and two seconds later, she had stormed over to his desk, dark hair slightly askew. She straightened out her red dress as she asked, 'Did I tell you Kurt's coffee order?' When he shook his head, she went back to her desk, muttering to herself all the way. Silence reigned over them for the next five minutes, until Kurt's office door clicked open. It sounded loud in the silence.

'Kurt!' Santana said immediately, standing up and walking over to him. 'I forgot to tell Blaine the coffee order, so if it's wrong, it's mostly my fault.'

Kurt held up a hand to halt her ramblings, and he smiled. 'I was actually coming out to congratulate you on actually telling someone the order this time.' He took another sip of the coffee as he turned to look at Blaine, eyes significantly softer than before. 'The fact that you know my coffee order shows promise,' he said to Blaine with a smile. 'Keep it up and maybe you'll survive us.'

With that, Kurt turned around and disappeared into his office, Blaine and Santana both watching with frozen expressions. Santana slowly walked back to her desk, looking astounded, and Blaine tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Five seconds later, the office door opened and Kurt stuck his head out, looking at Blaine. 'Also,' he said conversationally, 'keep the bowties. I like them.'

He winked at Blaine and shut the door, and Blaine was left gaping at where Kurt's head had just been.

* * *

(4)

Kurt sat on the rusty swing, fingers curled around the metal chains and allowing the cold wind to gently rock him. His hair was ruffled, his cheeks were pink and his lips were slightly chapped, but he didn't care. He liked sitting on the swing like this. Since it was November and therefore getting colder, he was the only one here when him and his mom came, and he liked it like that. Every so often, he would look over at his mom and she'd smile at him, giving a little wave.

'Excuse me?' a small voice piped up next to him, and Kurt turned his head to look. Another boy was standing next to him, hands in his pockets and hat covering his hair. He gestured at the free swing. 'Do you mind if I join you?'

Kurt smiled at the boy. 'Go ahead,' he said easily, watching as he was rocked by the wind Blaine scramble up onto the swing, kicking out his legs and starting to swing for a second before slowing down again to the easy swaying that Kurt was doing.

'I'm Blaine,' he said, grinning. Kurt saw that he had a tooth missing, and that made him smile.

'I'm Kurt,' he replied, smiling happily. He took one hand off the chain and pointed over to the side. 'That's my mom over there.' He waved at her, and she smiled and waved back, hair being blown slightly by the wind. Kurt loved it when her hair was blown by the wind. It made her look like a Disney princess, and all of the princesses were beautiful.

And somehow, he ended up just sitting there talking to Blaine, swaying in time with the wind and laughing with him.

'Favourite princess?' Blaine asked, leaning forward on his swing slightly and Kurt thought about it for a moment.

'Ariel,' he said after a minute, grinning. 'She's pretty and has a pretty voice.'

Blaine grinned and nodded in agreement. 'Yeah,' he said, kicking his legs a bit and swinging higher. 'She's really pretty.' He paused for a moment, then added, 'I think Belle is my favourite.' At Kurt's questioning look, he said, 'She's pretty, but she's really smart. And kind, and she loved the Beast when no one else did.' He let out a sigh and a smile.

'Kurt!' Kurt looked over to where his mom was sitting, and saw her waving him over. He turned to Blaine. 'Come say hi to my mom with me!' he said, grinning excitedly. Without waiting for an answer, he hopped off the swing and all but ran over, cheeks flushed from the exertion. He heard Blaine stop beside him, and he said, 'Mom, this is Blaine.'

'Hello, Blaine,' his mother smiled at his new friend kindly.

'Hi!' Blaine all but chirped, grinning his missing-tooth-smile again. Kurt thought that he looked like he was going to bounce like an excited puppy.

'Can we stay a bit longer?' Kurt asked, smiling up at his mother's face hopefully.

'We can't, sweetie,' his mother said, smiling sympathetically at them, 'Remember? We've got to go and see your Aunt Mildred.'

Oh yeah. Kurt had forgotten about going to see Aunt Mildred today. Being with Blaine and having so much fun had made him forget about that.

'But,' she continued, looking thoughtful, 'maybe Blaine could call you later.' She smiled over at Blaine and asked, 'Where's your mom or dad?'

Blaine grinned at her and pointed over towards the other side of the park and beckoned. A short woman with short black hair wandered over to them, smiling down at Blaine. Kurt grinned at him excitedly as the adults began to talk to each other.

'So I'll get you talk to you later?' Blaine asked, looking so hopeful that it made Kurt ridiculously happy for some reason.

Kurt quickly nodded, biting his lip and grinning. 'Yeah,' he said happily, and he looked over at his mom. Sbe held out her hand, and he took it, squeezing her fingers. 'See you!' he said to Blaine as he began to turn to walk away.

'Later!' Blaine yelled, smile clear in his voice, and Kurt smiled against the wind happily, squeezing his mother's fingers again.

* * *

'Kurt?'

Kurt heard Blaine speak, voice sounding small and timid, but he didn't turn around. He continued to lie on his side, facing the wall and feeling anything but happy. He felt lost, like someone had left him in mist and he didn't know how to find his way back. He heard Blaine's small footsteps make their way across the bedroom carpet, then felt the bed dip behind him with the weight of another.

His mom had used to do that, as well.

Blaine's cautiously placed a hand on the small of Kurt's back, fingers rubbing circles through the fabric of Kurt's shirt. The constant motion was a warm weight, somehow grounding Kurt to a mockery of reality, and he shuddered, curling in further on himself.

'It's going to be okay,' Blaine said, but Kurt could barely hear him. It was like trying to listen to something whilst being underwater, and it came through distorted and wrong. 'Everything is going to be okay.'

'How?' Kurt found himself saying, voice flat. He didn't move from his position, continued to stare at the wall like it knew the reason why this had happened – why his mother was gone, and why she was never coming back. 'How is it going to be okay, Blaine?'

Blaine's hand moved slowly up his back and to his shoulder, the warm path left behind quickly cooling. Kurt shivered.

'Because,' Blaine said softly, comfortingly, 'I'm here, and I'm going stay with you until you're not sad anymore.' There was a hitch in his voice, like he was swallowing down tears or a lump in his throat. Kurt breathed shakily. 'I'm here,' he repeated, hand squeezing at his shoulder, and Kurt finally turned around, head resting on his pillow as he looked at Blaine.

He looked tired, and his eyes were red rimmed, but he smiled at Kurt, soft and sad. Kurt all but shot forward, wrapping his arms around Blaine's back and burying his head between his neck and shoulder. He could feel fresh tears welling up, and another lump forming in his throat for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last few days.

'Never leave me,' he whispered harshly into Blaine's neck, squeezing his eyes closed and feeling tears beginning to escape. Blaine's fingers clutched tightly at his back, like he thought he could keep Kurt from breaking by sheer force of will.

'I'll never leave you,' Blaine whispered, head shifting and breath tickling Kurt's ear. He shivered, clutching Blaine more tightly than before, afraid to let go. 'We'll always be best friends.'

'Forever?' Kurt asked, closing his eyes again as another tear escaped, breathing shakily around the lump in his throat.

'Forever,' Blaine promised, holding Kurt tightly against him.

* * *

Kurt stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking down to go through his bag to try and find his phone. He'd been on his way to lunch from Chemistry, and it had just occurred to him that his phone wasn't where it normally was – namely, on his person. He paused as he felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around his waist and hug him, and he grinned.

'Hey, Blaine,' he said conversationally as he resumed rooting through his things. Blaine's chin rested on his shoulder, his chest pressed against Kurt's back.

'What's up?' he asked, voice only inches from Kurt's ear. He suppressed the shiver that tried to run down his spine that had nothing to do with being cold.

'Nothing,' he answered, congratulating himself on keeping his voice steady. 'Just looking for my phone.'

'Ah,' Blaine nodded, chin moving against Kurt's shoulder. After a moment, he said, 'Come on. I've got something to tell you.' He unhooked his chin from the shoulder and moved away from Kurt, moving to stand in front of him instead. Kurt immediately missed the solid warmth against him. Blaine suddenly reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand, grinning with a mischievous glint in his eye, and he began to run down the hallway, dragging Kurt behind him.

'Blaine?' Kurt laughed, barely managing not to trip over his own feet, 'What are you doing?'

Blaine didn't answer him. Instead, he kept on pulling Kurt along until they reached an empty room, and he slowed down and turned around, transferring Kurt's hand to his other and walked backwards, still pulling Kurt along. His eyes were softer now, filled with an emotion that Kurt couldn't quite name.

'Kurt,' he said quietly, smiling at him as he pulled him further into the room before stopping. He didn't let go of Kurt's hand, instead brushing his thumb across Kurt's knuckles. 'I've been trying to figure out how to say this for a while.' He hesitated, and Kurt smiled encouragingly, even while his own heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird. Blaine smiled again, his expression completely open and raw in emotion. 'But there's no easy way to say or sugarcoat it.' Another pause and several thousand heartbeats, then - 'I love you,' he said simply, eyes shining brightly. 'I think I've always loved you, and I can't stand the thought of you not being in my life.'

Kurt breathed shakily, his eyes shining and vision going blurred. His head was refusing to admit that yes, the love of his life had just admitted that he felt the same way, but his heart was going crazy. His heart was ignoring the brain, and it was leaping in pure joy. Instead of answering Blaine, Kurt stepped forward until they were only inches apart, and slowly pressed his lips to Blaine's, smiling against them.

The resulting fireworks, and the electric sparks that followed Blaine's hand as it dropped to Kurt's waist, set Kurt's entire world on fire. His heart was dancing in the flames, revelling in the feel, and when they broke apart to breathe, he leaned his forehead against Blaine's and let out a shaky giggle.

'I love you too,' he breathed, going in for another kiss.

From somewhere outside, a relieved sounding voice shouted, 'FUCKING FINALLY!'

* * *

(5)

Blaine all but fell out of the door to his apartment building, mentally cursing his luck as he ran into the oncoming pedestrians. The wind blew roughly at his hair, whipping against his face and turning the skin both sore and numb, and he struggled to get the door closed behind him. He then turned and started to walk briskly down the street, dodging around the slower people and barely avoiding stepping in fresh dog shit.

This bad day had all started when his alarm had failed to go off, therefore making him wake up late. His room mate had been in the shower when he'd gotten up, which made Blaine even later because he was waiting around for them to finish. The coffee maker in the kitchen had been broken during a party the week before – someone had thrown a bottle of vodka in the general direction of it, so Blaine supposed that was the reason why it had stopped working – so there was no coffee for him, and when he'd gotten around to shaving himself, the razor had cut his face.

All in all, he was having a pretty crappy day, as days went. The clouds overhead looked dark and ominous, and Blaine glowered at the ground as he felt the first spots of rain hit his face. Trust it to rain today, as well.

He stepped around a large congregation of children, quickening his pace as he walked towards the subway station. Around him, people heading that way were pushing him like a sea current – some of them would randomly stop in the middle of the street for no reason, and Blaine would grit his teeth as he diverted his path around them at the last second.

Reaching the steps, he quickly hurried down them, his coat blowing against his legs as the draft blew up from the station. People were hurrying up them as well, and it was a struggle not to get pushed around by those people who paid him no mind. The rain was beginning to come down harder now – Blaine could feel a few spots landing on the back of his neck, and he tried to hurry up. Slipping inside, he pushed past the crowds of people milling around, waiting to use the machines to get their tickets, and he pulled out his own from his pocket.

Clutching it tightly, Blaine made his way to where he needed to go, slipping through the gates by sliding it into the machine and walking through. Shoving it back into his pocket, he started walking towards the steps that lead to the platform, feeling the wind already blowing at him from a few feet away. From behind him, something bashed into the back of his legs, and he jumped as a rude looking woman with an oversized pram ran past him, not even shouting, 'Sorry!' at him for almost breaking his kneecaps.

She was so on his list.

Shaking his head, Blaine carefully but quickly made his way down the steps, and felt his stomach drop to the floor as he saw the train was already there. Pushing his resolve aside, he started to run, shoving people aside and purposely knocking into the rude woman's pram. He smirked at the dirty look she sent him – it served her right for starting the entire thing. His heart raced and pounded as he saw the doors beginning to close as he made it there, and he took a running jump, landing inside the carriage just as the doors shut behind him.

Straightening up and smoothing out his now-wrinkled coat, he took ahold of one of the poles The train started to move from the station, and Blaine found himself being shifted with the force of the movements until he was pressed against someone's shoulder. The person he was pressed against apparently didn't care, because he continued messing around on his phone. Blaine turned his head to look at him a bit more – keeping it subtle because it would just be plain creepy to be staring at a stranger on a train – and nearly started.

The guy he was pressed into was gorgeous, almost unfairly so, and his hair was high and coiffed, seemingly held in place by some gravity defying force. The stylish black coat hugged his body in all the right places, and the fingerless gloves he was wearing just made the entire thing unfair. Blaine didn't even want to think about how tight the guy's jeans must be. The guy's face was a perfect mask of concentration as his eyes stayed glued to his phone, even as the train bumped and ground to continuous halts at stations. Blaine supposed that the guy must be used to getting trains at this time, if the way he held himself, so relaxed and confident, was any indication.

Blaine looked around the carriage, bored. In the few seats were sat businessmen, reading newspapers – Blaine noted with amusement that in a row of three, they all had exactly the same one – and businesswomen sat with their legs crossed and briefcases resting on their knees. Blaine wondered if they could get away with killing someone. With the way that their hair was styled – some had it pulled back into sharp, right buns; others had it loose and styled with purpose – and the size of their heels, Blaine thought they seriously could. From somewhere further down the carriage, Blaine could hear a baby crying. He wondered if the rude woman from before had made it onto the train as well.

The train suddenly gave a huge jolt, and before Blaine could grab hold of the pole again, he found himself being pushed sideways into the attractive guy.

'Shit, sorry!' he apologised immediately as he pulled himself off the guy and grabbed the pole again. An older woman looked at him in disgust for the use of his language, and he was tempted to flip her the bird.

'No, no. It's fine!' the guy said, smiling and cutting off Blaine's rambling apologies. Blaine blushed and ducked his head for a second.

'Are you sure?' he asked anxiously, fingers gripping the pole tightly as he frowned at the guy. 'I mean – I didn't hurt you, did I?'

'I'm fine, really!' the guy laughed, straightening up and smoothing down the coat that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. 'I should be asking you that,' he said, not looking up from where he was redoing a couple of buttons up. 'Are you okay? You're the one who fell, after all.'

And he looked so damn concerned that Blaine felt his heart stutter for a second.

'I'm fine,' he said reassuringly, smiling at the guy. He held out his free hand. 'My name's Blaine.'

Kurt transferred the phone to the hand that was clutching the pole and shook Blaine's hand with his free one. 'Kurt,' he said with a smile, eyes glittering slightly in the overhead lights. 'So I don't think I've seen you on here at this time before,' Kurt said conversationally, managing to lock his phone and slide it into his pocket. How there was even room for pockets on that coat, Blaine had no idea.

'I got up late,' Blaine confessed, grinning sheepishly. If he could, he would have ran a hand through his already messed up hair. 'My alarm went off and I have an annoying room mate and it's all just - ' He waved his hand vaguely, not having the right words to describe what he was feeling, but Kurt seemed to get it, catching on immediately and clicking his tongue in sympathy.

'I've been there,' Kurt said with a small grin, nodding to himself. 'When I first came to New York, I lived with my best friends and let me tell you, you don't know hell until you've lived with a psychotic broadway enthusiast and a demonic lesbian whilst occasionally working graveyard shifts at a broadway diner.'

Blaine let out a small laugh of surprise, clutching the pole tighter when the train jolted again.

'Well,' he said after a moment's thought, grinning at Kurt, 'I can't say that this has been all bad.' Blaine felt a small tug in his stomach as he realised that he was flirting with Kurt, and he waited on tenterhooks for the rejection to come.

Instead, Kurt let out a quiet laugh. 'I'd have to agree with you, there,' he said in reply, his voice slightly lower than before and his eyes glinting. Blaine felt that tug again, and he grinned. Kurt suddenly looked out of the doors towards the approaching station, and he sighed. 'This is where I get off,' he said to Blaine, smiling with something that looked like regret. He turned towards the door and looked over his shoulder. 'Maybe I'll see you again if you get up late?'

Blaine bit his lip, doing some quick thinking, before blurting out, 'Do you wanna get a drink sometime?'

Kurt turned to look at him again, smile back in full force. 'I'd love to,' he said softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like an official business card. From another pocket, he pulled out a pen, and he quickly scribbled something down. Still smiling, he handed it over to Blaine with a flourish of his wrist and said, 'I get off at seven tonight.'

And with that and a wink, he turned just as the doors opened, stepping out onto the platform and making his way towards the steps. Blaine watched him leave, a smile still on his face and his heart racing with the adrenaline.

And maybe he was watching the way the coat clung to Kurt's ass like it was painted on as well, but that was just a benefit of watching him walk away. Blaine grinned again and bit his lip.

* * *

(+ 1)

Kurt turned his head in wonder as he looked around, taking in the sights of Dalton with amazed eyes. The place was so gorgeous, like something out of an Austin novel, and everyone was so well behaved here. There was no lumbering pack of Neanderthals roaming the corridors looking for victims – everyone seemed so civilised, and already a couple of people had smiled at him.

He started to walk down the long, sweeping staircase, following the direction of where everyone else was going. Kurt knew that he really hadn't thought this through – he had no idea what he was doing here; he'd only come because Puck had pissed him off so much, and he had no clue where he was going. If he didn't do something soon, it was going to look more than a bit suspicious. Kurt swallowed. He was going to have to ask someone. Slipping off the sunglasses, he tapped the shoulder of the first boy who passed him and asked, 'Excuse me? Hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here.'

The boy had turned around mid-speech, and Kurt felt the breath leave his body. The boy was so handsome, and was looking up at Kurt with an unreadable look in his eyes. After a second, the boy said, 'My name's Blaine,' and held out his hand.

Kurt smiled. 'Kurt,' he replied, shaking Blaine's hand and pretending not to feel the almost-sparks run from Blaine's hand into his veins.

* * *

'Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, '_oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever_',' Blaine said softly, his voice filled with an emotion Kurt couldn't name and his eyes shining with raw brightness. Kurt didn't say anything, didn't know if he could say anything, not whilst his heart was starting up the hopeful stuttering. He refused to hope, and he tried to push it down.

And then Blaine scooted forward, placing his hand over Kurt's. The resulting sparks ignited the butterflies, and Kurt could feel his heart beating against his chest, like it was trying to escape. It was all he could do to keep his breathing under control, to not hyperventilate there and then.

'Watching you do _Blackbird_ this week, that was a moment for me. About you.' Kurt's heart gave a tremendous leap, and he blinked rapidly to try and clear his eyes of any tears. He would not cry. Blaine seemed to be trying to get his thoughts in order even as he was speaking them, and he shook his head, grinning in that adorable way that always made Kurt's heart beat just a little bit faster. 'Y-you move me, Kurt.' Kurt's breath hitched, getting caught somewhere between the lump in his throat and his heart which had left it's designated space. 'And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you.'

Kurt couldn't help the smile that started to spread across his face. He was barely keeping it together as it was – his heart was officially gone, sending nothing but fire through his veins. He watched as Blaine slowly leaned forwards, eyes flicking down to lips, and two seconds later, Blaine's lips were on his. Kurt's brain imploded.

The kiss was slow, almost tentative at first, but the contact was like fire. It was like someone had set off a spark, and as Blaine moved his lips, Kurt found himself lifting his hand to cup Blaine's cheek. This was what a first kiss should be like, what his should have been like. There was no rush to it, no sense of urgency, and when they broke apart for air, they just stared at each other. Kurt tried not to get lost in those eyes.

Blaine sat back, a blush rising steadily over his cheeks and he pressed his fist into his cheek as he grinned. 'We should – we should practice,' he said, his voice half-hearted like he was trying to convince himself of that idea.

Kurt breathed out shakily and said, 'I thought we were,' with a hint of a laugh. And maybe it was cheesy and he wasn't entirely sure where it came from, but when Blaine all but leapt on him, one hand behind his head and mouth moving against his in such a way that it caused fireworks to go off in Kurt's head, he really couldn't complain.

* * *

' - it's never really felt like I've been getting to know you. It's always felt like I was remembering you from something.'

Kurt could barely breathe. His heart was somewhere in his throat, beating rapidly with the knowledge of what was going on, what Blaine was going to do. In the back of his mind, the old him, the person he'd been before New York had taken him apart and shaped him into someone new, was pushing his was to the front of his mind, crying in joy that this was happening to him. He exhaled shakily and tried to blink the growing tears out of his eyes. If he was going to cry, he would cry afterwards, not during the speech.

The thought that he already knew that he was going to say 'yes' resonated deep within him, striking at his very core.

'As if in every life you and I have ever lived, we've chosen to come back, and find each other and fall in love all over again,' Blaine said, his smile so earnest and full of the purest adoration that it made Kurt's head and heart pound in time with each other, 'over and over, for all eternity.' Blaine let out a little breathless laugh, as if saying the words themselves did that to him. The way Blaine spoke about them coming back, though, and the memories that flashed through his mind of their secret looks – Kurt believed him when he said that they'd met before in other lives. Kurt couldn't say anything, he couldn't breathe past the welling emotions in his chest, and judging by the way his vision was blurring, he knew his eyes would be shining with tears by now.

'And I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime, because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you.'

Kurt breathed in unsteadily, like he couldn't quite get enough air into his lungs. The weight of Blaine's love, so evident in his eyes, was pressing up against him and blanketing him in love, and safety and everything that was good in the world. His vision was getting more blurred now, and it was all he could do to just keep breathing. He watched Sam hand Blaine the box, a well practised manoeuvre that filled Kurt's chest with a tingling warmth.

'Kurt Hummel,' Blaine said, smiling up at him, and Kurt watched through tear veiled eyes as Blaine got down on one knee, right there on the staircase where they'd first met, 'my amazing friend,' keep breathing, 'my one true love.. Will you marry me?'

Kurt didn't even have to think about his answer. He nodded quickly, before remembering that he did indeed still possess the power of speech, and managed to breathe out, 'Yeah. Yeah!'

Blaine grinned, and it was a grin so full of love and joy that it took Kurt's breath away. He surged up from his kneeling position, capturing Kurt's lips in a kiss that stole the last of his control. Kurt wound his arms around Blaine's back, fingers digging into the suit jacket, and he let himself drown in the kiss. Everything else around them, all the cheering going on, melted into nothingness. Blaine's hand on the back of his head, holding him like he was made of the most delicate porcelain, was the only thing keeping him grounded, instead of floating away into the clouds.

And when they separated, Kurt let out a shaking breath, grinning, and it felt like the first breath he'd released in months.

* * *

___'Since the invention of the kiss__, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.'_

_'Are you really quoting The Princess Bride, Blaine? Really?' _

_'I only speak the truth, honey.'_

_'Urgh. Why did I marry you?' _

_'Because you love me?'_

_'Hm. I suppose.'_

_'I love you, too.'_

* * *

_A/N: So, was this okay? I'm really hoping it was because like I said, I put a lot of work into it. Please leave a review :) Seriously, they make me happy and I need to know if this turned out okay or not._

_(Or feel free to leave notes on the tumblr post of this *shrugs and smiles)_


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